The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1887-10-22
THE UNIvERsAIIsT: SATURDAY. OCTOBER %, 1887

active churches and unregenerate mem
bership.
have visited eight parishes within this
Association, preaching in seven, and held
series of meetings in four. No church
is yet strong enough to support preach.
ing every Sunday, and but two, Beecher
City and Windsor, sustain preaching one.
half the time. Rev. J. K. Dillon has been
settled upon a circuit composed OF the
Good Hope, Rose Hill, Jacksonville and
Greenup churches. The Greenup church
is gradually paying its debt and is in a
fair condition. The church in Beecher
City has made large increase in men,
bership, advanced in it's reli gious life and
paid more money to the State Oonven-
ton and for local work, than in any pre-
vious year. Under Br. Cooks ministry
the future OF this parish is assured.
other Associations.
note with pleasure the midsummer
meeting held by the Spoon River Asso-
citation. The Associations should be en-
couraged to hold such meetings as a
means of religious awakening and up
building among our churches.
An effort should be made to revive
the Associations or to provide some way
whereby the churches therein shall be
assigned to membership in those already
active. Girard, Springfield, Decatur,
Hoopeston, Urbana and Leroy are not
at present connected with any Associa
ton.
Imperiled Church Property.
The church building in Kirkwood re-
mains unsold. A parish meeting was
held to perfect the title and enable us to
give deed of the property in case it can
be sold.
The church property in Wsukegan has
been sold and the proceeds donated by
the Trustees to the city for the erection
of chapel at the cemetery. I visited
Waukegan and consulted with the friends
regarding the proper disposition to be
made of this money, and pointed out the
fact that our State laws forbid any such
alienation of church property. From
later communications learn the matter
is still under advisement. There is prop
erty in Mendoza which most of the former
church members desire shall pass into
possession of the Convention. visited
Pekin to investigate the condition of our
church. I received no encouragement
regarding a revival of our cause. The
few friends L saw, thought best~to sell
the church building and turn the pro-
ceeds into the Permanent Fund of the
Convention. have since been informed
that there is some hope of reviving our
church in that city. Before the proper
ty is sold an investigation should be
made, and if there is prospect of revival,
an effort should be made at once.
The difficulty in the way of securing
church property lies in the fact that SO
many of the officers and members now
living and controlling the affairs of mac
tive and dead parishes, are not Universe
lists or fully in sympathy with the cause
Of church extension. This is an added rea-
son why early in the history of the parish,
the property should he decided to the Con.
vention, and ample provision made to
prevent it's alienation.
The report here embraced various re-
CONNIE ndations which we're outlined in
our report Of the Convention, and adopt
ed by that body. We need not repeat them
here, and close the report with the FL
NANoIAL AND STATISTICAL STATEMENT
which follows EDITOR.